Stop Glorifying Preparation

Oct 13

OCTOBER 13, 2025

Preparation has its place, but over-preparation is just avoidance in disguise. Readiness isn’t found in the plan, it’s built in motion. Confidence, clarity, and growth come after the first step, not before.

Stop polishing. One imperfect step today beats a perfect plan tomorrow.

You know what I hear a lot?

“I’m not ready yet.”
“Let me just get everything in place first.”
“I’ll start once I have more time, research, clarity, confidence…”

We treat preparation like it’s progress. But often, it’s just a socially acceptable way to hide.

You can whiteboard strategies till the markers run dry.
You can spend months reading about how to pitch.
You can rehearse your “big move” until it’s flawless in the mirror.

And still never take the first step.

Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: you can’t think your way into readiness.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-preparation. Pilots need checklists. Surgeons need protocols. But in most areas of business and life, our obsession with “being ready” is actually slowing us down.

Studies from Stanford show that excessive planning can trigger “analysis paralysis,” where the more options we consider, the less likely we are to act at all. Preparation feels safe. But it comes with a hidden cost: momentum.

We might say we’re “building confidence,” but what we’re really building is a padded cell where nothing uncomfortable can reach us.

Confidence doesn’t come from preparation. Confidence comes from doing. A 2019 study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that confidence is built primarily through mastery experiences — i.e., by actually attempting something, failing, adapting, and improving.

No amount of reading about swimming will teach you how to actually swim.

Here’s what growth actually looks like:

Making your first sales call and fumbling through it.
Pitching your idea and hearing “no” a dozen times before you get a “yes.”
Launching your product when it’s messy and imperfect, then fixing it as you go.

If you wait until you feel ready, you’ll wait forever.

The people who grow — leaders, entrepreneurs, changemakers — aren’t the ones with the best preparation. They’re the ones who step into the unknown before they feel ready and figure it out as they go.

You can’t learn to drive in a parked car.

Key Idea

Preparation is safe. Progress is messy. Don’t confuse the two. Preparation has its place, but over-preparation is just avoidance in disguise. Readiness isn’t found in the plan, it’s built in motion. Confidence, clarity, and growth come after the first step, not before.

Takeaway

Stop polishing. One imperfect step today beats a perfect plan tomorrow.

Build your Movement

Where in your life are you hiding behind preparation instead of taking action?